. I admit to a little trepidation as I arrive on the Darmok. This ship has been Admiral Johannsen's personal command for over two decades, who am I to follow up on that?

. I knew from reading up on it that the Darmok was a small ship, only 10 decks and only a little over 350 meters long, but as we pulled up to the Shuttlebay on Deck 4 I really got to know just how small it is.

. I got only a few minutes to speak to the Admiral and Commander Xiaoyen as they swapped places with me on the shuttle. Neither seemed in a mood to chat. I'd heard through the grapevine that both had family matters pressing on their minds. We barely managed to get through the traditional, "I relieve you, sir," followed by, "I stand relieved," and the transfer of command codes from them to me. I can only hope the news they each had heard wasn't bad news, just pressing news. At any rate, they had boarded and the shuttle had pulled back out the hangar doors before I had even left the Shuttlebay.

. I was greeted by the Acting Chief of Security, a Junior Lieutenant by the name of Dean Spearhorse, and he led me to the nearby turbolift where we rode up two decks and then to the forward end of the ship to my quarters, Deck 2, Forward, Starboard. In spite of the Darmok being small, the Admiral's (now Captain's) Quarters are ample and will be quite comfortable, I'm sure.

. I didn't spend long in my new quarters though. I wanted to dive right in to my new command, so I called a meeting of my Senior Staff, and after dropping my bag, Lt. Spearhorse and I headed again to the turbolift and went back down three decks to Deck 5 and along a short corridor to the Starboard to the outer door to the Observation Lounge.

. I have detailed the discussion and results of that meeting in my official log. Here I just say, I think this crew will be a fine group of talented individuals. But here's a few personal insights to the individuals.

. Patterson, the Marine Major who is my interim Executive Officer and our official Reconn Control Officer in charge of MAX, the Artificial Intelligence of the Reconnaissance Systems, strikes me as capable, confident, and possibly bull-headed, but respectful of the Chain of Command.

. Doctor Thibodeaux seems friendly, probably a touch mischievous, but dedicated to the well-being of those under her care, including, it seems, the strange life essences trapped in those spheres.

. The Vulcan, Relok, is an odd case. He doesn't strike me as a typical Vulcan, stoic and unemotional. Rather, he seems to struggle to control his emotions, often having a smirk just barely touching his face, or a stray cough to cover a chuckle that almost slipped out. He is an enigma, I think.

. Xiva, our Acting Chief of Operations, was struggling to avoid succumbing to her exhaustion. I understand she had been working the Gamma Shift until my arrival. I've requested she switch to Alpha Shift to serve with the rest of the Senior Staff, but this meeting had caught her after the end of a full shift and she was tired. But, in spite of that, she was attentive and pointed out a potential flaw in Patterson's plan, and even suggested a brilliant plan to draw out those interested in this strange weapon by offering to sell the soul spheres. I like that.

. Spearhorse, who I had first met at the shuttle, seems genuinely concerned with the safety of the ship and her crew. Of course, this is expected of an Acting Chief of Security. He doesn't talk much, but when he does, he is focused on his job. There's something about him though that nags at me. I feel he's hiding something. Not anything that threatens the ship or the crew, but ... there's something ... personal that he's trying really hard not to let anyone know. It makes him tense.

. MacArdry has a wonderful accent, a strong Scottish brogue that makes her voice seem melodic. She appears energetic, a great quality for a Chief Engineer, and willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve her goals. And I understand she provided the food arrayed on the conference table, and it was quite a bounty!

. And as for Dr. K'Trevala, I thought the Vulcan's hair was long! This man has long flowing silver hair that falls nearly to his hips, though he keeps it bound out of his way. He is open, friendly, nearly always has a smile on his lips. He's a telepath, and it is for that reason I brought him into the meeting, since technically he is not one of the Senior Staff, being a Junior Grade Lieutenant under Dr. Thibodeaux. He has formed a sort of bond with the essences in the spheres. He said he sings to them, and that they respond by rocking in time to the music. He offered to broadcast his next performance, but ... I'm hesitant until I know him better. We certainly don't need some out-of-tune croaking being broadcast ship-wide! But ... if he's any good, maybe we can arrange some recitals in the future.